Hunan Agricultural University

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) represents a sustainable and environmentally benign route for ammonia (NH3) synthesis. However, NO3RR is still limited by the competition from hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the high energy barrier in the hydrogenation step of nitrogen-containing intermediates. Here, we report a selective etching strategy to construct RuM nanoalloys (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) uniformly dispersed on porous nitrogen-doped carbon substrates for efficient neutral NH3 electrosynthesis. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the synergic effect between Ru and transition metal M modulates the electronic structure of the alloy, significantly lowering the energy barrier for the conversion of *NO2 to *HNO2. Experimentally, the optimized RuFe-NC catalyst achieves 100% Faraday efficiency with a high yield rate of 0.83 mg h−1 mgcat−1 at a low potential of − 0.1 V vs. RHE, outperforming most reported catalysts. In situ spectroscopic analyses further demonstrate that the RuM-NC effectively promotes the hydrogenation of nitrogen intermediates while inhibiting the formation of hydrogen radicals, thereby reducing HER competition. The RuFe-NC assembled Zn-NO3− battery achieved a high open-circuit voltage and an outstanding power density and capacity, which drive selective NO3− conversion to NH3. This work provides a powerful synergistic design strategy for efficient NH3 electrosynthesis and a general framework for the development of advanced multi-component catalysts for sustainable nitrogen conversion.

Fermented red peppers (FRPs) provide distinct flavor and possible health benefits, but understanding of their microbial functions, viral diversity, pathogenicity, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) patterns remains limited. Integrated multi-method analysis revealed FRP's bacterial community was dominated by Bacillus (21.52 %), Lactobacillus sensu lato (14.27 %), and Pantoea (13.60 %). Bacillus drove core fermentation with an over 40 % contribution to carbon degradation and iron reduction. The virome was dominated by Caudoviricetes phages, yet 25.5 % of the functions of viral genes remained unknown. Critically, multidrug resistance genes were the most abundant ARGs, and beneficial bacteria served as major reservoirs for ARGs, co-occurring with potential opportunistic pathogens. Despite inhibitory conditions, these last dominated key metabolic nodes hydrogen generation and acetate oxidation. Counterintuitively, ARG profiles correlated with bacterial composition but not with mobile genetic elements or detected HGT events, challenging HGT as the primary ARG driver. These findings necessitate dual strategies: leveraging key microbes for fermentation efficiency while implementing stringent monitoring to mitigate pathogen and ARG related risks.

Resilience has been shown to buffer the relationship between bullying victimization and depression, though most studies have relied on structural equation modeling. This study, instead, applied network analysis to investigate associations between specific types of bullying victimization and symptoms of depression, and to examine whether resilience moderates these links.

A total of 2765 Chinese adolescents completed the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale - Student (Chinese Revision), the Children's Depression Inventory (Chinese Revision), and the Resilience Scale for Children and Adolescents. Based on resilience scores, 2471 participants were further categorized into a low resilience group (LR group; N = 671, M_age = 15.18, SD_age = 1.29, 27.15 %) and a high resilience group (HR group; N = 688, M_age = 15.20, SD_age = 1.26, 27.84 %). Separate symptom networks were constructed, and group differences were assessed by comparing network structure and global strength.

(1) The LR group scored significantly higher on bullying victimization and depressive symptoms; (2) The bridge symptom in the LR group was "relational bullying", whereas in the HR group it was "verbal bullying"; (3) The LR group exhibited significantly higher global strength and expected influence values for "negative mood" and "anhedonia", as well as stronger connection between "negative mood" and "interpersonal problems".

The cross-sectional design prevents causal inference. In addition, retrospective questionnaires may introduce recall bias.

The findings suggest that adolescents with lower resilience exhibit stronger interconnections between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. Resilience-enhancing interventions may help weaken maladaptive symptom networks in vulnerable youth populations.